Idles 2024 Love Is The Fing tour of Europe involved a large complement of Martin Audio Wavefront Precision line array elements for the main PA. FOH engineer Chris Fullard had first requested the system in 2019, when Solotech provided MLA but when the band played the West Stage at All Points East in 2022, it was with the newer Wavefront Precision, in the shape of the largest format WPL with its scalable resolution.

For 2024’s Europe outing, Solotech Account Manager David Preston specified the WPL/WPC/WPS system after conversations with Idles Production Manager Shaun Kendrick.

After a couple of warm-up nightclub gigs – Pryzm in Kingston and Marble Factory in Bristol where the band hail from – they were ready to promote a new album, Tangk, on what was their largest EU tour and first full production tour.

With venues ranging from around 5,000 up to 10,000 in capacity, the PA was scalable, ranging from 16 elements of WPL per side for the main hangs, eight WPC side hangs per side and 16 SXHF218 subwoofers at the largest configuration. Eight further WPS were carried in the truck for front fill and four XD12 for out fill – with the entire inventory powered by 20 Martin Audio iK42 amplifiers and processed through DirectOut Prodigy.

System tech duties were entrusted to the experienced Rayne Ramsden, who observed that the venues played were often notoriously bad with regards to reflections, and ensuring that that audio was delivered consistently to the audience in each venue was paramount.

‘Some venues were sonically great, with baffles behind FOH and some even with baffles in the roof, while others were concrete domes with many reflections,’ he says. ‘Using Hard Avoid tools and FIR filtering thus became a key element that Martin Audio has in the toolbox, and that certainly assisted us in getting as close as possible to the same audio in each venue. I am glad that they have carried forward these tools from the MLA into the WPL.’

Subwoofer configuration was vital in its impact on the overall sound, with 15 SHX218 deployed in a vertical Cardioid Sub Array configuration to maximise rejection on stage.

‘This allowed me to steer the low end in the venues, especially in arenas where the audience was almost 90° off centre of the PA,’ Ramsden says. ‘In some of the longer halls, where there was not so much of a side audience, I was able to control how much of the low end was steered towards the walls and potentially out of the venue into the surrounding areas. So, in order to perfect the steering angle and delay times, the Display Sub array tool has definitely been very useful.’

For venue optimisation, each space was mapped and verified at load-in with Display, enabling Ramsden to maximise coverage and consistency before loading the presets into the iK42 amplifiers, where all the delay and crossover filtering are handled. Any venue-dependent system tuning takes place in the Prodigy processor at FOH.

Having had much experience of both the MLA and WP platforms, the system tech notes improvement in the rigging system with the newer PA. ‘The three-point rigging system has definitely shortened the time from build to tuning,’ he says. ‘On this tour, there have been two of us flying PA, namely myself on stage right and Jonny Buck on stage left [both doubling as PA techs]. We have managed to get the entire rig in, with some local hands, in about two hours – very useful in a touring scenario with back-to-back shows, and a sizeable journey between each location.’

‘At mini arena level the Solotech team perfectly delivered the Martin Audio WPL system’s potential and capability with power, clarity and a real overall quality reinforcement,’ adds Production Manager, Shaun Kendrick. ‘This ensured that our FOH engineer Chris Fullard was happy every step of the way.

‘Regardless of venue size, capacity and layout, WPL delivered a solid overall sound, easily highlighting the band’s latest album, Tangk’s more subtle electronic elements right alongside old Idles faves.’

Other key personnel on the tour included stage tech and tour manager Robin Genetier. Now the European leg has been completed Idles head to North America before returning to the UK for shows, including Glastonbury, where they will headline the second stage.

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